Parkway vs. wider I-85? Debate still ruffling feathers

Photo by John Clark

By Michael Barrett

Published: Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 12:53 PM.

The Garden Parkway’s odds of ever being built seem to grow longer every day. But Gaston County business leaders who have long supported the toll road proposal aren’t giving up on it, even as the alternative of widening Interstate 85 between Belmont and Gastonia gains more favor. One local elected official is scoffing at the cost projections of the latter project, while predicting the state will ultimately elect to toll two new lanes that would be added to I-85 North and South. A plan to help pay for the 22-mile Garden Parkway by making it a toll road bolstered a public backlash against the project in recent years. Its supporters maintain it would be more beneficial in giving Gaston County another major crossing over the Catawba River, opening the door to more economic growth. “I don’t think anybody wouldn’t agree under the circumstances that I-85 needs to be widened,” said Gaston County Commissioner Joe Carpenter, who chairs a local committee that prioritizes road needs in Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties. “But if you prioritize it, what do we get with the parkway? We get so much more.”

Letter spurs concern

N.C. Department of Transportation calculations don’t agree with Carpenter. The state’s new method for prioritizing road improvements assigns more value to those that promote “strategic mobility” — by supporting economic growth, job creation and quality of life. In a recent statewide assessment of 899 proposed projects, widening I-85 from Belmont to U.S. 321 in Gastonia ranked 36th. Building the Garden Parkway ranked 255th. Carpenter believes the numbers used to come up with that ranking for the I-85 project were baseless. Last week, he sent a letter to DOT Secretary Tony Tata urging the state not to move forward on widening I-85 before conducting a detailed feasibility study on the concept. That was done to assess the Garden Parkway years ago, and it’s a natural next step in assessing the I-85 expansion, he said. Carpenter’s letter prompted concerns from area planners who also serve on the committee that prioritizes transportation needs. As supporters of widening I-85, they fear it could hamper the process, while doing nothing to boost the chances of the building the parkway. “(We were) concerned about the language used and how it could be interpreted by the DOT that the (committee) is requesting the I-85 project be delayed,” said Brian DuPont, a Mount Holly planner and vice chairman on the local transportation panel. “(That is) not the message the committee wanted to send.” Carpenter and other committee members will discuss the matter further during a meeting this week.

Tolls on I-85?

Carpenter maintains the state used unrealistic averages and other data to come up with cost projections on widening I-85. They don’t truly take into account the cost of acquiring expensive right of way and rebuilding or redesigning bridge overpasses and interchanges, he said. The state projects widening I-85 would cost $197 million, compared to $751 million to build the Garden Parkway. “I just think they were rushed into putting some numbers together and they did the best they could, but it’s not very credible,” said Carpenter. “That $197 million is nowhere near what it would cost. You’ve got multiple bridges and a railroad overpasses (on I-85) between Belmont and U.S. 321.” DOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Baker said the state stands behind the data it used — for now.

“We wouldn’t put that data in if we weren’t confident that’s what (the costs and benefits) could be,” she said. “Obviously, that could change. We’re talking about a projection over a 10-year period.” Carpenter also maintains that state leaders are leaving open the possibility of tolling new lanes on I-85 in Gaston County. It would be similar to a plan that’s in the works to widen I-77 through Charlotte, he said. “They don’t call them toll lanes,” said Carpenter. “They call them ‘managed lanes.’” Baker said toll lanes and toll revenue weren’t factored into the DOT’s cost projections on widening I-85. But that also could change.

“Moving forward, that is a possibility,” she said. “When you put together a major interstate project like this, you look at all the possibilities.” You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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The Garden Parkway’s odds of ever being built seem to grow longer every day. But Gaston County business leaders who have long supported the toll road proposal aren’t giving up on it, even as the alternative of widening Interstate 85 between Belmont and Gastonia gains more favor. One local elected official is scoffing at the cost projections of the latter project, while predicting the state will ultimately elect to toll two new lanes that would be added to I-85 North and South. A plan to help pay for the 22-mile Garden Parkway by making it a toll road bolstered a public backlash against the project in recent years. Its supporters maintain it would be more beneficial in giving Gaston County another major crossing over the Catawba River, opening the door to more economic growth. “I don’t think anybody wouldn’t agree under the circumstances that I-85 needs to be widened,” said Gaston County Commissioner Joe Carpenter, who chairs a local committee that prioritizes road needs in Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties. “But if you prioritize it, what do we get with the parkway? We get so much more.”

Letter spurs concern

N.C. Department of Transportation calculations don’t agree with Carpenter. The state’s new method for prioritizing road improvements assigns more value to those that promote “strategic mobility” — by supporting economic growth, job creation and quality of life. In a recent statewide assessment of 899 proposed projects, widening I-85 from Belmont to U.S. 321 in Gastonia ranked 36th. Building the Garden Parkway ranked 255th. Carpenter believes the numbers used to come up with that ranking for the I-85 project were baseless. Last week, he sent a letter to DOT Secretary Tony Tata urging the state not to move forward on widening I-85 before conducting a detailed feasibility study on the concept. That was done to assess the Garden Parkway years ago, and it’s a natural next step in assessing the I-85 expansion, he said. Carpenter’s letter prompted concerns from area planners who also serve on the committee that prioritizes transportation needs. As supporters of widening I-85, they fear it could hamper the process, while doing nothing to boost the chances of the building the parkway. “(We were) concerned about the language used and how it could be interpreted by the DOT that the (committee) is requesting the I-85 project be delayed,” said Brian DuPont, a Mount Holly planner and vice chairman on the local transportation panel. “(That is) not the message the committee wanted to send.” Carpenter and other committee members will discuss the matter further during a meeting this week.

Tolls on I-85?

Carpenter maintains the state used unrealistic averages and other data to come up with cost projections on widening I-85. They don’t truly take into account the cost of acquiring expensive right of way and rebuilding or redesigning bridge overpasses and interchanges, he said. The state projects widening I-85 would cost $197 million, compared to $751 million to build the Garden Parkway. “I just think they were rushed into putting some numbers together and they did the best they could, but it’s not very credible,” said Carpenter. “That $197 million is nowhere near what it would cost. You’ve got multiple bridges and a railroad overpasses (on I-85) between Belmont and U.S. 321.” DOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Baker said the state stands behind the data it used — for now.

“We wouldn’t put that data in if we weren’t confident that’s what (the costs and benefits) could be,” she said. “Obviously, that could change. We’re talking about a projection over a 10-year period.” Carpenter also maintains that state leaders are leaving open the possibility of tolling new lanes on I-85 in Gaston County. It would be similar to a plan that’s in the works to widen I-77 through Charlotte, he said. “They don’t call them toll lanes,” said Carpenter. “They call them ‘managed lanes.’” Baker said toll lanes and toll revenue weren’t factored into the DOT’s cost projections on widening I-85. But that also could change.

“Moving forward, that is a possibility,” she said. “When you put together a major interstate project like this, you look at all the possibilities.” You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.